One of the most heartbreaking things a family can say to US is:

“I’m frightened I’m saying goodbye too soon.”

And we understand why.

When you love an animal so deeply, there is an almost unbearable temptation to wait for certainty — to wait until there is no appetite left, no wagging tail, no favourite treat, no moment of recognition, no spark of the pet you have always known.

But sometimes, by the time there is nothing good left, we have waited too long.

A goodbye does not have to come at the very end of everything they love.

Sometimes it comes while there are still beautiful moments left to cherish.

A warm place in the sunshine.
A favourite meal.
The sound of your voice.
A gentle pat beneath the chin.
A tired tail that still wags when you walk into the room.
The comfort of falling asleep beside the person they have trusted with their whole life.

Those moments matter.

But so does everything around them.

When we help families navigate this decision, we encourage them to step back from the single good day — or the single difficult day — and look at the life their pet is living as a whole.

Are they comfortable most of the time?
Can they rest peacefully?
Can they get up, walk and toilet without significant struggle?
Are they still finding pleasure in the things that once made their world feel wonderful?
Are they still seeking connection with you?
Has their world gradually become smaller?
And, perhaps most importantly, are the hard days beginning to outnumber the good ones?

There is no perfect moment.
There is rarely absolute certainty.
And loving them enough to let them go is not the same as giving up on them.

Sometimes the kindest goodbye is the one that comes before the suffering becomes unbearable.

We don’t have to wait for their worst day to give them their last day.

We can choose a day that is gentle.
A day where they are still surrounded by love.
A day where their final memories are not fear or pain, but your voice, your touch and the safety of home.

Because sometimes the greatest gift we can give our animals isn’t more time at any cost.

It is the gift of letting their story end as peacefully and lovingly as it began.

And if you are sitting with that question right now — wondering whether you are too early, too late, or simply unable to know — please know that you don’t have to carry that decision alone.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What is the most important thing when considering my pet’s end-of-life treatment?

• What are my thoughts about euthanasia?

• Would I consider euthanasia if the following were true about my pet: Feeling pain? Can no longer urinate and/or defecate? Starts to experience uncontrollable seizures?

• Has become uncontrollably violent or is unsafe to others?

• Has stopped eating?

• Is no longer acting normally?

• Has a condition that will only worsen with time?

• Financial limitations prohibit treatment?

• Palliative (hospice) care has been exhausted or is not an option?

• The veterinary team recommends euthanasia?

• The veterinary team recommends euthanasia, but the required symptoms or situations that I listed above are not present?

“How do I know when it’s time?”

The following tools may aid you in making the decision to euthanise your pet:

• Enlist the help of your veterinarian. While your veterinarian cannot make the decision for you, it is helpful for him/her to know that you are considering euthanasia.

• Remember how your pet looked and behaved prior to the illness. Sometimes changes are gradual, and therefore hard to recognise. Look at photos or videos of your pet from before the illness.

• Mark good and bad days on a calendar; some may choose to distinguish morning from evening.  This could be as simple as a happy or sad face for good or bad.  If the bad days start to outweigh the good, it may be time to discuss euthanasia.

• Write a concrete list of three to five things your pet likes to do.  When your pet is no longer able to enjoy these things, it may be time to discuss euthanasia.